Sony is now in the process of streamlining its operations to become more competitive in the market. Last year the company stopped selling its Sony eReaders in the North American market and instead promoted its Xperia tablets and smartphones as an alternative to reading eBooks bought at the Sony Reader Store. Now the company has announced also that it will be shutting down its Sony Reader eBook store in North America.

There is however good news for consumers who are using the Sony eReader and apps as they will be able to use the Kobo eBookstore in getting their eBooks. Sony has announced that Kobo will be providing consumers in the United States and Canada who are using the Sony eReader, Xperia tablet, and Xperia smartphone with a catalogue of more than 4 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers, graphic novels, and kids content.

Ken Orii, Vice President of Digital Reading Business Division Sony Electronics, said that “Kobo is the ideal solution for our customers and will deliver a robust and comprehensive user experience. Like Sony, they are committed to those most passionate about reading and share our vision to use open formats so people can easily read anytime and anywhere. Our customers can be assured that they will have a seamless transition to the Kobo ecosystem and will be able to continue to access and read the titles they love from Sony devices.”

Takahito Aiki, CEO of Kobo, said that “With a shared philosophy to deliver the best reading experience across platforms and with the best content available, Kobo and Sony will reach more people than ever before. Together, millions of customers across the US and Canada will find their next great read at their fingertips – any time, any place, and on any device.”

The Kobo app for Android will become pre-loaded in selected Xperia tablets and smartphones.

For those who are still using the Sony eReader hardware there is going to be an easy migration process that will start this coming March. This will give them access the Kobo eBookstore with their content from the Sony Reader Store available on the new platform. An email from Sony will be arriving soon providing details on the migration process. As of now, customers can still order books from the Sony reader Store.

Kobo is one of the fastest growing online stores where people could get their reading materials. There are currently more than 4 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers available to its more than 18 million customers in 190 countries.